Treating the effects of trauma is never easy. And i​n military culture, the challenge is even greater. The reality is that traditional psychotherapy can be stigmatizing and feel like "just a lot of talk" among people who value doing and action.

Service members are hands-on. They trust their experience and the people they serve with. In order to engage them in their own healing process, the solutions offered need to understand who they are, respect their culture and meet them squarely on their terms.

Clinical evidence and generations of human experience show that horses have a special ability to help people work through emotional barriers without stigma or shame. This is especially true and valuable for people who suffer the effects of trauma.

In equine assisted psychotherapy, horses serve as metaphors and powerful stand-ins for the people, issues and challenges in the client's life-or the lives of couples, family or military unit. A highly-trained mental health professional puts the horses' unique sensitivities to work - their special capacity to read and respond to peoples' non-verbal signals and cues - leading to powerful emotional breakthroughs and life-changing insights.

Equine Assisted Psychotherapy And The Eagala Model

"We have conducted a number of EAGALA EAP sessions. The veterans who participate tell me that never have they found a group or individual session so useful and life changing, and that they have found hope. After these workshops, many reflect frequently on the experience and skills learned then take these lessons into their daily lives"

EVIDENCE BASED EQUINE ASSISTED PSYCHOTHERAPY AND THE EAGALA MODEL ARE WELL-RESEARCHED

The power of horses to heal:

Even though equine assisted psychotherapy is a relatively newdiscipline, EAGALA is committed to building a body of evidence based on peer reviewed research. With 15 years in the field, the EAGALA

Model is tested and subject to ongoing study and development.

For a listing of research and studies on equine assisted psychotherapy and the EAGALA Model,